Come Alive!

“People, he thought, were as hungry for a sight of joy as he had always been--for a moment's relief from that gray load of suffering which seemed so inexplicable and unnecessary.”

― Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged

This week was a great one. It was a welcome relief after quite a few quiet weeks due to rain.

Monday morning Walker & Son Construction was here and ready to start working.

It took some time, but they were able to get all of the trusses completed. See them all stacked up there in that fireplace opening?

Next, they started putting up some of the exterior walls. It was exciting to see the doorways between the sunroom and our living room and bedroom go up. This is the exterior wall of the “building,” but since we are fully enclosing the lean-to into a sunroom, it ends up being an interior wall. But a strong one! J

That day they also got the exterior garage wall started.  Most of the photos I have taken have been from the same corner of the building. This one is obviously not from that same spot. In this one you are looking at the exterior garage wall through the house with the fireplace on the far side. The trusses are all stacked up in front of the fireplace opening. Trust me, it's there. 

On Tuesday the trusses started going up.

By the end of the day, all but the front and back trusses were completely up.

The next day the front and back walls were up and the trusses in place. It took some time to get the roof line plumb, but they took their time and got it just right. Isn't she pretty??

We have had our first inspection by the bank in order to release some funds. That whole process is stressful and confusing. I think it is all straightened out.

On Friday the sunroom supports went up. They had to spend a good deal of time on the fireplace area with its additional support.

In addition to seeing things installed, we have also had to take some things away from our plans. Sadly, we are deciding to give up the view of the trusses in the house and opting for flat ceilings instead. There are a lot of reasons for this, and it just makes more sense in the long run. I can just walk out to the garage if I want to see those pretty trusses. J  With that decision also came the loss of the skylights in the kitchen and bathroom. I have been promised that the lighting in the bathroom will keep it from feeling dark.

Saturday saw the installation of the tractor shed, the only open lean-to on the building. It has two large openings on the side wall as well as the two ends to aid in moving tractors and equipment in and out.

We also ordered our exterior doors and hardware. That was exciting and expensive. Yeesh!

The structure for the building is up and almost at a 100%. Hopefully no later than Tuesday, it will be ready for metal. They still need to finish some hat channel, which is what they will attach the metal siding and roof to, and frame out the window openings. 

We have been very pleased with VersaTube and the ease in putting up this structure. It has not been without its challenges, however. There is definitely a learning curve. But the structure is sturdy and strong. Their customer support has been helpful. We are happy customers.

Thankfully, Walker & Sons Construction has been up to the challenge of this new build and has been a phenomenal crew. We have been more than happy with their level of hard work and commitment to building us our dream home. It is solid, strong, and safe. We even fed them hot lunches on a few occasions. This week they got homemade chili and corn muffins, red curry chicken soup, and some loaded potato soup. Gotta keep 'em warm and happy so they work hard!

Due to David's injury, he has not been able to help in the way he was planning. He has had to heal over the last couple of months. This week he got a steroid epidural, which hopefully will do the trick and get him back to work - both here and at the fire hall. 

I plan to blog weekly as long as there is progress and pictures to share. 

Stay tuned!
Lizabeth